What Pens Are You Using Today 2016

[Valkyrii]

Fred

...strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords

is no basis for a system of government. Supreme

executive power derives from a mandate from the

masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

~ Dennis the Constitutional Peasant...

"Did you see 'em repressing me?"

Can never go wrong quoting Holy Grail, very nice choices for today in your collection.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Two Mabie Todd Swans, the only ones I have. The American made 54 ETN on the left is the prettier of the two in my eyes. Probably made in the late 1920s to early 30s. Loaded this morning with De Atramentis Julius Caesar (gray).



The British made 3150 on the right is from the late 1940s. The nib is rather nicer to write with, although both pens are good. Akkerman Shocking Blue in this one.



Swans2 by waranoid, on Flickr

[eliweisz]

Two Mabie Todd Swans, the only ones I have. The American made 54 ETN on the left is the prettier of the two in my eyes. Probably made in the late 1920s to early 30s. Loaded this morning with De Atramentis Julius Caesar (gray).

 

The British made 3150 on the right is from the late 1940s. The nib is rather nicer to write with, although both pens are good. Akkerman Shocking Blue in this one.

 

Swans2 by waranoid, on Flickr

A nice pair of Swans! Have to ink mine, the bird is sitting idle for two months already.

In the meanwhile, I'm testing an ivory GvFC Intuition, leased from a friend. The nib is very smooth and dependable, with a bit of flex.

[Guardy]

For daily writing, three Jinhao x450's - an ivory white one with Standardgraph burgundy (a very interesting, if slightly problematic ink), a red mottled/gold flecked one with Pelikan 4001 royal blue and a blue twist with Pelikan 4001 blue-black, for the awful paper of my notebook. I love bl-bk, that stuff would probably work on a napkin. Looks great, too... and it's iron-gall enough to smell interesting.

 

Then, on my desk for use at home, there's a Laban "Swarovski Crystal" (which is quite lovely - if only the section weren't so oddly shaped... Also, can't take it to university, because it's massive silver and I'd kick myself if I'd manage to lose it) and a mysterious "Pony Pen" - most likely relatively cheap and Chinese, but exceedingly well-made. I love the nib on that thing. It was my daily writer for years until I got some more toys to play with.

Both of those are inked with Pelikan 4001 royal blue.

 

I also inked up my Noodler's Ahab Arizona with Standardgraph violet (which I bought and subsequently never used) - I like the pen, but it tends to spew ink and is wildly unreliable. The ink is very pretty; it writes a dark-ish, de-saturated but fairly standard purple, but dries into a dusty, dignified almost-black, which I did not expect but really love. Gotta go through my stash and find a nice EDC pen to ink with that because oh man, that's one nice ink.

 

/EDIT: Did that; stays significantly lighter in the other pen. Still very nice, though.
/EDIT2: Okay, no, now it darkens like in the first pen. Standardgraph inks are confusing.

Edited November 15, 2016 by Guardy

[mallymal1]

Shall be using recent additions - Pink Lamy Safari with M nib, inked with Robert Oster's wonderful Sea Blue.

[dogpoet]

I'm testing out a Parker 180 I've just got hold of. Quite taken with it so far and (unlike my Classic, which I think is the same pen with a different feed and nib in the same section) it isn't oozing ink all over my fingers when I try to use it.

[eliweisz]

A Monteverde, model unknown, received from a friend for a test run. Superficially resembling the good old Pelikan 100, but larger. Beautiful "marbled" barrel with a black finial & cap. The #6 nib (JoWo, I suppose), marked as M, is on the finer side of the medium - and very smooth. Inked it with Diamine Teal. So far, so good!

[jar]

Today is the Kuro Izumo Platinum.

[stuartk]

Gate City New Postal XF steel JoWo nib, Pelikan 140 F nib, and Pilot Custom 74 M nib.

[Cyqa]

I am really loving the new TWSBI Diamond 580 AL in Pink, with an EF nib. It's my first TWSBI pen, and I absolutely love the muted pink colour. (My icon is a photo I took of my pen!)

[Helen350]

Kaigelu 316 - M. Nib. Diamine Sherwood Green

[Guardy]

Laban S-C1B-F / Swarovski Crystal with Pelikan 4001 royal blue, because what else can you do with a cartridge filler in Germany.

As always using it for short notes.

 

Jinhao x450 with Standardgraph violet / Veilchenblau: I'll have to do a review on this ink at some point, because it's fantastic. I'm not usually a purple person, but that's a really good ink. The pen is nice, as well - I like the x450 a lot. It writes quite well, the section is comfortable, and the size is ideal for me... although I wouldn't mind 5-10g knocked off in the weight department.

 

Jinhao 8812 rosewood with Standardgraph... maize yellow / Maisgelb, I guess. The bottle was labeled as coffee brown, but that is not coffee brown. Not the first time I've come across an incorrectly labeled Standardgraph ink, either. Anyway, I like doing my writerly stuff with two colors, both for looks and as a highlighter replacement, and maize yellow and violet work fairly well together.

 

The "Frankenstein's Monster" I cobbled together a few months ago - a very cheap old online pen that never really worked, paired with a thoroughly ruined, decades-old nib and a tiny bit of tape. I ground the nib into a crisp italic (pretty much exactly 1.1 millimeters wide *pats own back*) and inked it with Pelikan 4001 violet (or purple or whatever they call that). I don't quite know how it works, but it does work, and exceedingly well, too.

[jar]

Today it is the Soratamenuri Platinum Izumo

[mallymal1]

I am really loving the new TWSBI Diamond 580 AL in Pink, with an EF nib. It's my first TWSBI pen, and I absolutely love the muted pink colour. (My icon is a photo I took of my pen!)

 

Congats on the TWSBI...and nice icon.

[mallymal1]

Kaigelu 316 - M. Nib. Diamine Sherwood Green

 

That is a really nice photo, Helen. Good work.

[dylim1]

Lamy Linea S

Franklin-Christoph Model 31

[taciturn-lackey]

A quiet Monday morning.

 

Pilot Custom Heritage 92 fine with Iroshizuku Kujaku for work notes but also using a Lamy Safari 1.1 with Lamy Dark Lilac and a Pilot Custom 74 music with Pilot Blue-Black for some journaling.

 

I think it's time for more coffee as well.

[ppdiaporama]

I'm in a Sheaffer mood these days ... in my pouch, a Sheaffer Imperial II Deluxe (medium point), a Sheaffer Trimumph-Imperial Blue GT (2557) with a custom ground medium stub nib, and a Sheaffer Targa gold-plate flute with a 14k medium nib.

[praxim]

Three of six inked being used today.

Lamy Dialog 3 : Waterman Audacious Red

Onoto 21 : Robert Oster Green Olive

Waterman 52 1/2V : GvFC Garnet

 

The little Onoto is the pen which makes Green Olive work for me.

[mehandiratta]

Lamy 2000 with BB nib...

I am using it with GvFC Hazelnut Brown Ink.

.